Questions & Answers

We are a group of Buffalo Tesla workers who believe that by organizing our workplace we can hold Tesla corporate accountable to Tesla staff. With a union we will have a voice on the job to work together to make improvements at work.

You can join the union organizing committee! The committee's role is to talk to coworkers to build support and keep people updated on the unionizing process! You can also join a number of subcommittees! To join, check out this link: bit.ly/teslacommittee

Under the National Labor Relations Act, Tesla cannot retaliate against workers who are organizing or speaking out about working conditions. The Employee Guidebook says:

"Neither the NDA nor this (confidentiality) policy is intended to preclude or dissuade you from engaging in activities protected by state or federal law, including the National Labor Relations Act."

The purpose of the NDA is to protect trade secrets and technological innovations, not prevent organizing efforts. Talking about workplace conditions while organizing a union is not just legally protected: it also strengthens our community here at Tesla.

A union is an organization of workers who collectively use their strength to have a voice in their workplace. Having a union means having democracy at work. Without a union, decision-making is top-down and the employer has all the power. With a union, workers will have the power to negotiate with the employer as equals, work under a contract that helps guarantee our rights, and elect those who will help us represent ourselves.

Yes! Workers have the right to form or support a union without being fired or retaliated against. This right is protected under federal law and enforced by the US government, through the National Labor Relations Board, which prosecutes companies that violate workers' right to organize.

We are asking Tesla management to respect our right to organize a union! We will be asking them to sign the Fair Election Principles, which states they will refrain from threatening or retaliating against workers for organizing, agree to a quick and fair election process, and give the union equal time to hold meetings or post info!

No! We are pro-Tesla and pro-union. We want to work at Tesla and make it our career. We want Tesla to be the best it can be and a place where we can have successful and sustainable careers. If we didn't care about the company we wouldn't be putting this work into changing it for the better.

Workers United Upstate New York is a descendant of the garment workers* unions that helped build a strong labor movement 100 years ago.

Today, this is the same union that started the Starbucks Workers United campaign in Buffalo that spread across the country, and represents workers in sectors ranging from manufacturing to nonprofits to the service sector. Workers United also emphasizes local autonomy. Meaning, Tesla workers will have the power to create a unique, innovative, and creative local union and structure. Tesla workers are the union.

Buffalo Tesla workers will be the first! There is no such thing as an unorganizable workplace, there are only workplaces that haven't been organized yet. Buffalo is a pro-union community that will have Tesla workers' backs as they form Tesla's Model U -- the first union in the company!

Ultimately, that's up to us as Tesla workers to decide. As staff on the floor, we know what makes this company run and what changes would help us improve both our work lives and the company. We will have the right to negotiate a union contract and have a real voice in setting organization policies, staffing levels, rights on the job, health and safety conditions, protections from unfair firings or unfair discipline, seniority rights, leaves of absence rights, benefits, wages, etc. We want Tesla to be a place where workers can have careers and be rewarded for their vears of hard work for the company

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No, unions can only strike after a strike vote is taken and an overwhelming majority of workers vote "Yes" to go on strike. Strikes are rare and would only happen if Tesla and our union cannot come to an agreement over a contract and workers voted to strike.

Forming a union will give us due process. We will elect worker representatives, called shop stewards, who can help stand up for our interests. With a union, if we have a problem on the job, we can still go to management on our own and try to resolve it without filing a formal grievance. But if we aren't able to resolve it, then we will have the right to get the union involved and file a grievance and, if necessary, have a neutral judge, called an arbitrator, force the company to correct an unfair action. Without a union, Tesla management has the final say and is essentially the judge and jury of its own case.

Nol This isn't true and is a common anti-union line. The union is not a substitute for standing up for ourselves - it is a means of doing so. Your voice is not lost in a union--your voice is amplified.

Think about how many times you and your coworkers talked about changes you wanted to see, but knew that they wouldn't be implemented. Or think about a time that you or a coworker may have been treated unfairly by management and couldn't do anything about it. Having a union is a chance for your voice to be amplified by a whole organization of people behind you.

A union contract, also known as a collective bargaining agreement, is a document workers negotiate with management. The contract sets the pay, benefits, policies and working conditions at the company. Before the contract goes into effect, it must be voted on (ratified) by workers.

Negotiations can begin shortly after we win our union! We will form a negotiating committee and create proposals for improvements. Then, we will sit across the bargaining table from Tesla management on an equal footing to bargain over key workplace issues. A majority of Tesla workers must vote yes on any proposed contract before it can go into effect.

We believe that we the staff of Tesla should have a workplace where all workers have a democratic voice. Our union's goal is to negotiate a strong union contract and more broadly our goal is advancing social and economic justice in our community.

Our union's values will be inclusiveness, compassion, joy, creativity, respect, and solidarity.

Each contract is different. Once we win our union, Tesla workers will create bargaining proposals and negotiate a contract based on our needs and interests. There are no guarantees or promises of what will be in our union contract. The only real guarantee is that with a union we will have a real voice and can negotiate with the company as equals. We, the Tesla workers, are the union, and we have faith in our collective talents and collective humanity.

We are forming a union with good will and look forward to a meaningful partnership with Tesla. We believe that Tesla is a company that believes in inventing new and innovative methods of problem-solving. As Tesla Workers United, we can create a new model of collaborative and creative labor-management relations - - the Tesla Model Union.

No. That would be illegal. By law an employer cannot take any benefits away from you when you vote to have a union.

Everything we have right now is where we would start in negotiations. The goal in negotiations will be to get improvements at work.

Without a union, all workers are "at-will" employees, meaning the company can discipline or terminate a worker whenever and for any reason except under conditions protected by federal law such as unlawful discrimination or union activity. Once the union is voted in, it can prevent unfair discipline or firings by negotiating a "just cause" clause in the collective bargaining agreement. This would protect all Tesla workers from any unfair discipline or firing. No worker should have to work months or years for an employer without protection from unjust management actions.